ved his summons. The first intelligence was
communicated to the Spartans by Demaratus himself, while he was at Susa,
in the following singular manner. It was the custom, in those days, to
write with a steel point on a smooth surface of wax. The wax was spread
for this purpose on a board or tablet of metal, in a very thin stratum,
forming a ground upon which the letters traced with the point were
easily legible. Demaratus took two writing-tablets such as these, and
removing the wax from them, he wrote a brief account of the proposed
Persian invasion, by tracing the characters upon the surface of the wood
or metal itself, beneath; then, restoring the wax so as to conceal the
letters, he sent the two tablets, seemingly blank, to Leonidas, king of
Sparta. The messengers who bore them had other pretexts for their
journey, and they had various other articles to carry. The Persian
guards who stopped and examined the messengers from time to time along
the route, thought nothing of the blank tablets, and so they reached
Leonidas in safety.

Leonidas being a blunt, rough soldier, and not much accustomed to
cunning contrivances himself, was not usually much upon the watch for
them from others, and when he saw no obvious communication upon the
tablets, he threw them aside, not knowing what the sending of them could
mean, and not feeling any strong interest in ascertaining. His wife,
however--her name was Gorgo--had more curiosity. There was something
mysterious about the affair, and she wished to solve it. She examined
the tablets attentively in every part, and at length removed cautiously
a little of the wax. The letters began to appear. Full of excitement and
pleasure, she proceeded with the work until the whole cereous coating
was removed. The result was, that the communication was revealed, and
Greece received the warning.

When the Greeks heard that Xerxes was at Sardis, they sent three
messengers in disguise, to ascertain the facts in respect to the Persian
army assembled there, and, so far as possible, to learn the plans and
designs of the king. Notwithstanding all the efforts of these men to
preserve their concealment and disguise, they were discovered, seized,
and tortured by the Persian officer who took them, until they confessed
that they were spies. The officer was about to put them to death, when
Xerxes himself received information of the circumstances. He forbade the
execution, and directed, on the other hand, that t